Semiautomatic jacketing method

ABSTRACT

A method for jacketing a product having a generally cylindrical outer surface locates a sheet of jacketing material on first and second belts for conforming the sheet of jacketing material to and pressing the sheet of jacketing material against the outer surface of the product and locates the product on the sheet of jacketing material. Preferably, the belts are mounted on frames that are pivoted from a first position where the sheet of jacketing material can be placed on the belts and the product can be placed on the sheet of jacketing material to a second position where the belts are each wrapped part of the way around the outer surface of the product while the product remains stationary to conform the sheet of jacketing material to and press the sheet of jacketing material against the outer surface of the product so that the sheet of jacketing material may be bonded to the outer surface of the product. When the frames are pivoted from the first position to the second position, the frames draw the belts over the sheet jacket with a force less than that required to crush the product and greater than that required to overcome friction between the belts and the sheet of jacketing material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention relates to an apparatus and method for applying asheet of jacketing material to a cylindrical product and in particularto an improved semiautomatic apparatus and method for applying a sheetof jacketing material to a cylindrical product, such as but not limitedto a tubular pipe insulation product, where the product is retained in astationary position and the sheet of jacketing material is wrapped aboutand bonded to the cylindrical outer surface of the product.

Numerous cylindrical products are jacketed to enhance the performanceand/or the appearance of such products. While the apparatus and methodof the subject invention can be used to apply sheets of jacketingmaterial to numerous products, the apparatus and method of the subjectinvention are particularly well suited for applying sheets of jacketingmaterial to pieces of pipe insulation. Jacketed tubular pipe insulationis installed upon the pipes of hot and cold piping systems to retard theflow of heat between the pipes of the system and the ambient environmentand conserve energy. Typically, this jacketed tubular pipe insulationhas a longitudinally extending slit that passes completely through thetubular wall of the pipe insulation on one side and into the interior ofand part of the way through the tubular wall of the pipe insulation onthe opposite side of the pipe insulation so that the pipe insulation canbe opened, passed over, and closed about a pipe. The pipe insulation isjacketed to enhance the performance of the pipe insulation (e.g. toretard the transmission of water vapor); to prevent the pipe insulationfrom being exposed to contaminants; to make the pipe insulation moreaesthetically pleasing; to protect the pipe insulation from adverseclimatic conditions; and to serve as a means for securing and sealingthe pipe insulation in place on the pipes of a piping system. Customers,such as installers, expect the pre-applied jackets of the jacketed pipeinsulation products to be smooth and conform without creases or wrinklesto the cylindrical outer surfaces of the pieces of pipe insulation; tobe correctly registered and aligned with the ends of the pieces of pipeinsulation; and to be correctly aligned and registered with thelongitudinal slits in the pieces of pipe insulation that enable thepieces of pipe insulation to be opened, passed over, and closed about apipe.

Currently, sheets of jacketing material are normally applied to pipeinsulation by one of two methods. One method is a completely manualmethod and the other method is an automated method. Both of thesemethods involve rolling a piece of pipe insulation over a sheet ofjacketing material to wrap the sheet of jacketing material about thepiece of pipe insulation.

When the manual method for applying a sheet of jacketing material to apiece of pipe insulation is employed, an adhesive is applied to thesheet of jacketing material and the piece of pipe insulation is thenplaced on and manually rolled over the sheet of jacketing material towrap the sheet of jacketing material about and bond the sheet ofjacketing material to the cylindrical outer surface of the pipeinsulation. The manual method of applying a sheet of jacketing materialto a piece of pipe insulation can frequently result in themisapplication of the sheet of jacketing material to the piece of pipeinsulation. The most common flaw encountered with the manual method ofjacketing pipe insulation is the failure of the sheet of jacketingmaterial to be tightly wrapped about the cylindrical outer surface ofthe piece of pipe insulation. In other words, rather than making ajacketed piece of pipe insulation wherein the jacketing materialconforms closely to the cylindrical outer surface of the piece of pipeinsulation, a piece of jacketed pipe insulation is produced whereinspaces are left between the jacketing material and the outer surface ofthe pipe insulation. Since this causes the finished product and thus theinstallation of the product to look shoddy, installers do not want touse such products. These flaws in the product also cause folds orcreases in the jacketing material at the ends of the pieces of pipeinsulation and where two pieces of pipe insulation are butted up againsteach other to be sealed with butt strips, the folds or ceases in thejacketing material are not only aesthetically displeasing, but may alsoprevent the formation of a vapor tight seal at the butt joint.

Other problems that may be encountered with the manual method ofapplying a sheet of jacketing material to a piece of pipe insulationinclude the failure to properly adhere the sheet of jacketing materialto and/or to properly register the sheet of jacketing material with thepiece of pipe insulation. Typically, the adhesive used is a “hot melt”adhesive that only forms an effective bond when the adhesive is at orabove a specific temperature. A wholly manual application of the sheetsof jacketing material to the pieces of pipe insulation allows forvariations in the time between the application of the “hot melt”adhesive and the application of the sheets of jacketing material to thepieces of pipe insulation that can result in a cooling of the “hot melt”adhesive to temperatures where the adhesive no longer forms an effectivebond between the jacketing material and the pipe insulation.

The major problems associated with the current automatic methods forapplying sheets of jacketing material to pieces of pipe insulationrelate to the high costs involved in the manufacture and installation ofsuch equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 3,755,039, issued Aug. 28, 1973 disclosesan example of an automatic apparatus and method of jacketing pipeinsulation wherein the pieces of pipe insulation are rolled over thesheets of jacketing material.

Another method and apparatus for applying sheets of jacketing materialto the cylindrical outer surfaces of ducts involves rotating the ductand feeding a sheet between a roller and the duct to wrap the sheetaround and bond the sheet to the duct. The method and apparatusdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,890,182, issued Jun. 17, 1975 arerepresentative of this type of method and apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The semiautomatic jacketing apparatus and method of the subjectinvention provide a solution to the problems encountered in the manualand automatic-jacketing operations of the prior art discussed above. Thesemiautomatic jacketing apparatus of the subject invention for jacketinga product having a generally cylindrical outer surface, especiallytubular pipe insulation, includes first and second belts for conforminga sheet of jacketing material to and pressing the sheet of jacketingmaterial against the generally cylindrical outer surface of the productbeing jacketed. The belts each have a width substantially equal to orgreater than the length of the generally cylindrical outer surface ofthe product and a length at least substantially equal to and preferablygreater than one half of the circumference of the product.

The semiautomatic jacketing apparatus has first and second supportframes that support the belts and are mounted on rods about which theframes pivot between first and second positions. In the first position,the sheet of jacketing material can be placed on the first and secondbelts and the product can be placed on the sheet of jacketing material.In second position, the belts are each wrapped part of the way aroundgenerally cylindrical outer surface of the product to conform the sheetof jacketing material to and press the sheet of jacketing materialagainst the generally cylindrical outer surface of the product so thatthe sheet of jacketing material may be bonded to the generallycylindrical outer surface of the product. The pivotal movement of thesupport frames from the first position to the second position wraps thebelts about the product while the product remains stationary and drawsthe belts over the rods that pivotally support the frames, the sheet ofjacketing material, and the product with a force less than that requiredto crush the product and greater than that required to overcome frictionbetween the belts and the sheet of jacketing material. This enables thesemiautomatic jacketing apparatus and method of the subject invention tobe used for the jacketing of products, such as fiberglass pipeinsulation, without damaging the products and reducing their performancecharacteristics such as their thermal insulating properties.

Preferably, the apparatus has an adhesive applicator for automaticallyapplying an adhesive to the generally cylindrical outer surface of theproduct after the product has been properly positioned on the sheet ofjacketing material. The adhesive is used to bond the sheet of jacketingmaterial to the generally cylindrical outer surface of the product whenthe belts are each wrapped part of the way around the generallycylindrical outer surface of the product to conform the sheet ofjacketing material to and press the sheet of jacketing material againstthe generally cylindrical outer surface of the product.

Where the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus is used to jacket productswith a slit or other feature with which the sheet of jacketing materialmust be properly aligned, such as pipe tubular insulation that has alongitudinally extending slit, the apparatus is provided with a guidemechanism. A preferred guide mechanism for use with pipe insulationhaving a longitudinal slit is a laser beam that is projectedlongitudinally along the length of the cylindrical outer surface of theproduct so that when the slit in the piece of pipe insulation is alignedwith the laser beam the pipe insulation is properly oriented forjacketing. While this type of guide mechanism is particularly wellsuited for pipe insulation, this type of guide mechanism could also beused with products other than pipe insulation.

In the semiautomatic method of the subject invention, a product having agenerally cylindrical outer surface, such as a piece of tubular pipeinsulation, is manually placed and properly positioned on thesemiautomatic jacketing apparatus and the apparatus is activated toapply an adhesive to the generally cylindrical outer surface of theproduct and wrap the sheet of jacketing material about the product. Oncethe sheet of jacketing material has been wrapped about and bonded to theproduct, the product is manually removed from the apparatus. Where theproduct requires the proper alignment (registration) of a feature of theproduct with the sheet of jacketing material, preferably, the product ispositioned on the apparatus using the guide mechanism of the apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a typical piece of jacketed pipeinsulation that has been jacketed with the semiautomatic jacketingapparatus and by the semiautomatic method of the subject invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the semiautomatic jacketing apparatusof the subject invention for jacketing products showing the supportframes of the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus in the closed positionwith the belts wrapped about the generally cylindrical outer surface ofa product.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross section of the semiautomatic jacketingapparatus of FIG. 2 taken substantially along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2 tofurther schematically show the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus in theclosed position (in solid line) and to also schematically show thesupport frames of the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus (in phantomline) in the open position for loading and unloading product from theapparatus.

FIG. 4 is a partial schematic cross section, on a larger scale than FIG.3, showing the support frames of the semiautomatic jacketing apparatusin the closed position for wrapping the sheet of jacketing materialabout the product (in solid line) and the open position for productloading and unloading (in phantom line).

FIG. 5 is an end view of semiautomatic jacketing apparatus of thesubject invention schematically showing the location of the frames andbelts of the apparatus when the apparatus is in the open position forloading a product to be wrapped, a sheet of jacketing material overliesthe belts (shown spaced above the belts for clarity), and the apparatusis ready to receive a product to be wrapped.

FIG. 6 is an end view of semiautomatic jacketing apparatus of thesubject invention schematically showing the location of the frames andbelts of the apparatus when the apparatus is in the open position forloading a product to be wrapped, a sheet of jacketing material overliesthe belts (shown spaced above the belts for clarity), and a product tobe wrapped is loaded onto the apparatus and has two beads of adhesivethereon for bonding the sheet of jacketing material to the product.

FIG. 7 is an end view of semiautomatic jacketing apparatus of thesubject invention schematically showing the location of the frames andbelts of the apparatus (in phantom line) when the apparatus is in theopen position for loading a product to be wrapped and showing thelocation those components (in solid line) when a sheet of jacketingmaterial is wrapped about and pressed against the product by the beltsto bond the sheet of jacketing material to the product.

FIG. 8 is an end view of semiautomatic jacketing apparatus of thesubject invention schematically showing the location of the frames andbelts of the apparatus when the apparatus is in the open position forunloading a finished product after a sheet of jacketing material hasbeen wrapped about, pressed against, and bonded to the product.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While, as indicated above, the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus andmethod of the subject invention may be used to form various jacketedcylindrical products, the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus and methodof the subject invention are particularly well suited for manufacturingpieces jacketed tubular pipe insulation 20. Accordingly, for thepurposes of describing the operation of the semiautomatic jacketingapparatus and the method of the subject invention, the operation of theapparatus and method will be described in connection with the jacketingof a piece of tubular pipe insulation 22. However, it is to beunderstood that the apparatus of the subject invention and its operationand the method of the subject invention, as described, may also be usedto jacket other products having generally cylindrical outer surfaces.

FIG. 1 shows a typical jacketed piece of tubular pipe insulation 20 thathas been jacketed with the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus and by thejacketing method of the subject invention. The jacketed piece tubularpipe insulation 20 is commonly installed on the pipes of hot and coldpiping systems to retard the flow of heat between the pipes of thesystem and the ambient environment and conserve energy. The jacketedpiece of tubular pipe insulation 20 includes a tubular piece of pipeinsulation 22 with a longitudinally extending slit 24 that passescompletely through the tubular wall of the pipe insulation on one sideand into the interior of and part of the way through the tubular wall ofthe pipe insulation on the opposite side of the pipe insulation so thatthe pipe insulation can be opened, passed over, and closed about a pipe.The jacket 26 of the jacketed piece of pipe insulation 20 is wrappedcircumferentially about the tubular piece of pipe insulation 22 so thatthe longitudinal edge portion 28 of the jacket and the sealing tab 30 ofthe jacket extend adjacent and parallel to but do not overlap the slit24. Once the jacketed piece of tubular pipe insulation 20 is placed on alength of pipe, the sealing tab 30 can be placed over the slit 24 andadhesively sealed to the longitudinal edge portion 28 of the jacket toseal the jacketed piece of pipe insulation about the pipe. The pipeinsulation is jacketed to enhance the performance of the pipe insulation(e.g. to retard the transmission of water vapor); to prevent the pipeinsulation from being exposed to contaminants; to make the pipeinsulation more aesthetically pleasing; to protect the pipe insulationfrom adverse climatic conditions; and to serve as a means for securingand sealing the pipe insulation in place on the pipes of a pipingsystem. Tubular pipe insulation such as that which can be jacketed bythe apparatus and method of the subject invention is typically made fromglass fibers bonded together with a thermosetting resin, ranges inlength from about 36 inches (about 0.92 m) to about 48 inches (about1.22 m), and ranges in outside diameter between about 2 inches (about 50mm) and about 23 inches (about 600 mm).

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus of thesubject invention 40 for jacketing a product having a generallycylindrical outer surface such as tubular pipe insulation 22 includesfirst and second belt segments 42, first and second pivotally mountedsupport frames 44, and a drive mechanism 46 for pivoting the supportframes 44 between open and closed positions. Preferably, thesemiautomatic jacketing apparatus 40 also includes an adhesiveapplicator mechanism 48 and a guide mechanism 50 for properly aligningthe product to be jacketed in the apparatus.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the belt segments 42 of the semiautomaticjacketing apparatus 40 are used to conform a sheet of jacketing material26 to and press the sheet of jacketing material against the generallycylindrical outer surface of the piece of tubular pipe insulation 22 orother product being jacketed. The belt segments 42 each have a widthsubstantially equal to or greater than the length of the generallycylindrical outer surface of the piece of tubular pipe insulation 22 orother product being jacketed and a length at least substantially equalto and preferably greater than one half of the circumference of thepiece of tubular pipe insulation 22 or other product being jacketed. Ina preferred embodiment of the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus 40, thebelt segments 42 have lengths that enable the apparatus to be used tojacket products of different diameters e.g. products having diametersranging from about 2 inches (about 50 mm) to about 23 inches (about 600mm) for tubular pipe insulation.

The first and second support frames 44 of the semiautomatic jacketingapparatus 40 support the belt segments 42 and are pivotal between anopen position shown in phantom line in FIGS. 3 and 4 to a closedposition shown in solid line in FIGS. 2 to 4. The first and secondsupport frames 44 are each affixed to first and second drive rods 52,respectively, and include first and second end frame members 54, a firstcross frame member 56, and a second cross frame member 58. As shown, endportions 60 of the belt segments 42 are wrapped about and affixed to thefirst cross frame members 56 of the support frames 44.

The drive mechanism 46 pivots the support frames 44 in unison back andforth between the open position and the closed position about the axesof the drive rods 52 while the piece of tubular pipe insulation 22 orother product being jacketed remains stationary in the apparatus 40. Thefirst and second drive rods 52 are spaced from and extend parallel withrespect to each other. The drive mechanism 46 also includes a pair ofpneumatic cylinders 80 and two sets of meshing gears 82 that are affixedto the ends of the drive rods 52. The pneumatic cylinders 80 are onlymounted on the first of the two support frames 44. However, with the twosets of meshing gears 82 affixed to the ends of the drive rods 52, whenthe pneumatic cylinders 80 pivot the first support frame 44 about theaxis of the first drive rod 52 to which that support frame is affixed,the gear 82 on that first drive rod 52 drives the meshing gear 82 on thesecond drive rod 52 to thereby pivot the second support frame 44 inunison with the first support frame member 44 back and forth between theclosed and open positions of the support frame members 44. With thepistons of the pneumatic cylinders 80 in their extended positions, thesupport frames 44 are in their closed positions. With the pistons of thepneumatic cylinders 80 in their retracted positions, the support frames44 are in their open positions.

In the open position shown in phantom line in FIGS. 3 and 4, the supportframe members 44 each extend in a generally horizontal direction and thebelt segments 42 extend from the first cross frame members 56 of thesupport frames 44 over the second cross frame members 58 of the supportframes 44, over the drive rods 52, and down between the drive rods 52 asufficient distance to provide the required belt lengths for the beltsegments 42 to be wrapped approximately half the distance around thecircumference of the products 22 being jacketed. In the closed position,the support frames 44 each extend in a generally vertical direction andthe belt segments 42 are: located between the support frames 44; haveportions extending from the first cross frame members 56 to and over thesecond cross frame members 58 that are brought into contact with or invery close proximity to each other; have portions that are wrapped partof the way about the circumference of the generally outer cylindricalsurface of the product 22; and have portions extending down between thedrive rods 52.

The second cross frame members 58 of the support frames 44 areadjustably mounted on the end frame members 54 so that the second crossframe members 58 can be positioned to jacket products of differentdiameters. While other fastening means could be used to secure thesecond cross frame members 58 to the end frame members 54 such as quickconnect and release mechanisms, as shown, the second cross frame members58 are bolted to the end frame members 54 by bolts 62 which areselectively passed through any of a series of bolt holes 64 in the endframe members and threaded into the ends of the second cross framemembers 58. By positioning the second cross frame members 58 closer tothe first cross frame members 56 and farther away from the drive rods52, products having larger diameters can be jacketed. By positioning thesecond cross frame members 58 farther away from the first cross framemembers 56 and closer to the drive rods 52, products having smallerdiameters can be jacketed. The belt segments 42 of the semiautomaticjacketing apparatus 40 may be parts of a single belt or parts ofseparate belts.

With the support frames 44 in the open position, one or more sheets ofjacketing material 26 (preferably a plurality of 10 or more separatesheets of jacketing material) can be placed on the first and second beltsegments 42, bridging the gap between the belt segments 42 where thebelt segments pass over and are supported by the drive rods 52, and thegenerally cylindrical product 22 can be placed on the sheet(s) ofjacketing material 26. The generally cylindrical product 22 is placed onthe sheet(s) of jacketing material 26 with the product extendingparallel to the drive rods 52 and supported on the sheet(s) jacketingmaterial 26 and belt segments 42 by and between the drive rods 52. Withthe support frames 44 in the closed position, the belt segments 42 areeach wrapped part of the way around generally cylindrical outer surfaceof the product 22 and conform the sheet of jacketing material 26 to andpress the sheet of jacketing material 26 against the generallycylindrical outer surface of the product 22 so that the sheet ofjacketing material 26 is bonded to the generally cylindrical outersurface of the product 22 to form the jacketed product 20. Where thereare a plurality of sheets of jacketing material 26 overlying the beltsegments 42, since only the uppermost sheet of jacketing material 26 isbrought into contact with the adhesive that bonds the sheet of jacketingmaterial to the generally cylindrical outer surface of the product, onlythe uppermost sheet of jacketing material 26 is bonded to the product 22and the remaining sheets of jacketing material fall away from thejacketed product 22 when the support frames 44 are pivoted back to theopen position.

The pivotal movement of the support frames 44 from the open position tothe closed position draws the belt segments 42 over the drive rods 52that support the belt segments, the sheet(s) of jacketing material 26,and the product 22 with a force less than that required to crush theproduct 22 and greater than that required to overcome friction betweenthe belt segments 42 and the sheet(s) of jacketing material 26. Thisenables the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus 40 and method of thesubject invention to be used for the jacketing of products, such asfiberglass pipe insulation, without crushing or otherwise damaging theproducts and reducing their performance characteristics such as theirthermal insulating properties.

The line diagrams of FIGS. 5 to 8 illustrate the manner in which thebelt segments 42 are drawn over the drive rods 52 and the sheet(s) ofjacketing material 26 to wrap about the generally cylindrical outersurface of a piece of tubular pipe insulation 22 while the piece of pipeinsulation is stationary in the apparatus. In these Figures, the pointswhere the belt segments 42 pass over the drive rods 52 are labeled “A”and the points where the belt segments pass over the second cross framemembers 58 are labeled “B”.

In FIG. 5, the support frame members 44 are in their open position. Asheet of jacketing material 26 is schematically shown overlaying thefirst and second belt segments 42 and bridging the gap between the firstand second belt segments where the belt segments pass over the driverods 52. The sheet of jacketing material 26 is located on the first andsecond belt segments 42 so that when the sheet of jacketing material 26is wrapped about the product being jacketed, the longitudinal edgeportion 28 of the jacket and the sealing tab 30 of the jacket willextend adjacent and parallel to but not overlap the slit 24. A series ofspaced apart lines on one of the belt segments 42, extending parallel tothe drive rods 52, can be used to properly position different sizesheets of jacketing material 26 on the belt segments 42 to jacket pipeinsulation of different diameters. By aligning one edge of a sheet ofjacketing material 26 with a designated line for a piece of pipeinsulation of a particular diameter, when the sheet of jacketingmaterial 26 is wrapped about a piece of pipe insulation of thedesignated diameter that is properly aligned on the apparatus, thelongitudinal edge portion 28 and the tab 30 are properly locatedrelative to the slit 24.

In FIG. 6, a piece of tubular pipe insulation 22 with a generallycylindrical outer surface has been placed on the sheet(s) of jacketingmaterial 26 with the piece of tubular pipe insulation 22 extendingparallel to the drive rods 52 and supported by and between the driverods 52. The slit 24 in the piece of tubular pipe insulation 22 has beenproperly aligned for the jacketing operation and an adhesive 66 has justbeen applied to the pipe insulation for bonding the jacketing material26 to the pipe insulation 22. While the adhesive 66 could be applied toa substantial portion or substantially the entire outer surface of thepipe insulation 22, in one preferred form of the invention the adhesive66 is only applied to the pipe insulation adjacent to and on each sideof the slit 24 and may be applied as beads of a hot melt or otheradhesive in longitudinally extending continuous or discontinuous lineslocated adjacent and on each side of the slit 24.

In FIG. 7, the support frame members 44 are in their closed position andthe sheet of jacketing material 26 and belt segments 42 are wrappedtightly about the generally cylindrical outer surface of the piece ofpipe insulation 22. The movement of the support frame members 44 fromtheir open position (shown in solid line FIGS. 5 and 6 and in phantomline in FIG. 7) to their closed position (shown in solid line in FIG. 8)causes the belt segments 42 to be drawn over the drive rods 52 and thesheet of jacketing material 26 while the piece of pipe insulation 22remains stationary. As the belt segments 42 are drawn over the sheet ofjacketing material 26, the friction between the belt segments 42 and thesheet of jacketing material 26 exerts a force on the sheet of jacketingmaterial 26 that draws the sheet of jacketing material taught and smoothas the sheet of jacketing material 26 is wrapped about the generallycylindrical outer surface of the piece of pipe insulation 22 by the beltsegments. The distance each of the belt segments 42 move relative to thesheet of facing material 26 is the difference between the straight linedistance between points A and B and the arcuate distance in FIG. 7between points A and B around the generally cylindrical outer surface ofthe piece of pipe insulation 22.

In FIG. 8, the support frame members 44 are back in their open positionand jacketed piece of pipe insulation 20 is ready to be removed from thesemiautomatic jacketing apparatus 40.

Preferably, the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus 40 has an adhesiveapplicator 48 for automatically applying an adhesive 66 (e.g. a hot meltor other conventional adhesive) to the generally cylindrical outersurface of the piece of pipe insulation or other product 22 beingjacketed or the uppermost sheet of jacketing material 26. Preferably,the adhesive 66 is applied after the piece of pipe insulation or otherproduct being jacketed has been properly positioned in the apparatus 40on the sheet(s) of jacketing material 26. Typically, the adhesive 66 isapplied as two continuous or discontinuous beads of adhesive that extendlongitudinally along the length of the generally cylindrical outersurface of the product 22 to bond the lateral edge portions of the sheetof jacketing material and thus the sheet of jacketing material 26 to thegenerally cylindrical outer surface of the product. Immediately afterthe two longitudinally extending adhesive beads 66 are automaticallyapplied to the generally cylindrical outer surface of the product 22 bythe operators actuation of the apparatus 40, the belt segments 42 areeach automatically wrapped part of the way around the generallycylindrical outer surface of the product 22 to conform the sheet ofjacketing material 26 to, press the sheet of jacketing material 26against, and bond the sheet of jacketing material to the generallycylindrical outer surface of the product by means of the adhesive beads62. As shown in FIG. 2, the adhesive application mechanism 48 can be amechanism supported on a rail 68, centered over the product 22 to bejacketed when that product is properly position in the apparatus, andmoved along the length of the rail and the product as the mechanismdeposits the adhesive onto the product e.g. in the form of adhesivebeads 66. The adhesive application mechanism deposits the adhesive 66,e.g. as a pair of adhesive beads 66, on the product on each pass andwhere the product 22 has a longitudinal slit such as the slit 24 in thepipe insulation, deposits the adhesive on each side of the slit 24.

Where the semiautomatic jacketing apparatus 40 is used to jacketproducts with a slit or other feature with which the sheet of jacketingmaterial 26 must be properly aligned, such as tubular pipe insulation 22that has a longitudinally extending slit 24, the apparatus is preferablyprovided with a guide mechanism 50. A preferred guide mechanism 50 foruse with the jacketing of tubular pipe insulation is a laser beam 70that is projected longitudinally along the length of the cylindricalouter surface of the piece of pipe insulation 22 so that when the slit24 in the piece of pipe insulation is aligned with the laser beam, thepiece of tubular pipe insulation 22 is properly aligned for jacketing.

In the semiautomatic method of the subject invention, a product 22having a generally cylindrical outer surface, such as a piece of tubularpipe insulation, is manually placed and properly positioned on thesemiautomatic jacketing apparatus and the semiautomatic apparatus isactivated to apply an adhesive to the generally cylindrical outersurface of the product and wrap the sheet of jacketing material aboutthe product. Once the sheet of jacketing material has been wrapped aboutand bonded to the product, the jacketed product 20 is manually removedfrom the apparatus. Where the product 22 requires the proper alignment(registration) of a feature such as the slit 24 in the pipe insulationwith the sheet of jacketing material, preferably, the product 22 ispositioned on the apparatus using the guide mechanism 50 of theapparatus.

In describing the invention, certain embodiments have been used toillustrate the invention and the practices thereof. However, theinvention is not limited to these specific embodiments as otherembodiments and modifications within the spirit of the invention willreadily occur to those skilled in the art on reading this specification.Thus, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed, but is to be limited only by the claims appendedhereto.

1. A method for jacketing a product having a generally cylindrical outersurface, a circumference, and a length, comprising: providing a producthaving a generally cylindrical outer surface, a circumference, and alength; providing a sheet of jacketing material having a widthsubstantially equal to or greater than the circumference of the productand a length substantially equal to the length of the product; locatingthe sheet of jacketing material on first and second belt means forconforming the sheet of jacketing material to and pressing the sheet ofjacketing material against the generally cylindrical outer surface ofthe product and locating the product on the sheet of jacketing material;the first and second belt means each having a width substantially equalto or greater than the length of the generally cylindrical outer surfaceof the product and a length substantially equal to or greater than onehalf of the circumference of the product; wrapping the first and secondbelt means part of the way around the generally cylindrical surface ofthe product while maintaining the product stationary to conform thesheet of jacketing material to and press the sheet of jacketing materialagainst the generally cylindrical outer surface of the product so thatthe sheet of jacketing material may be bonded to the generallycylindrical outer surface of the product.
 2. The method according toclaim 1, including: applying an adhesive to the generally cylindricalouter surface of the product to bond the sheet of jacketing material tothe generally cylindrical outer surface of the product when the firstand second belt means are each wrapped part of the way around thegenerally cylindrical outer surface of the product to conform the sheetof jacketing material to and press the sheet of jacketing materialagainst the generally cylindrical outer surface of the product.
 3. Themethod according to claim 2, wherein: the adhesive is applied to thegenerally cylindrical outer surface of the product in two longitudinallyextending lines adjacent where first and second edge portions of thesheet of jacketing material are located by the first and second beltmeans when the first and second belt means are each wrapped part of theway around the generally cylindrical outer surface of the product. 4.The method according to claim 1, wherein: first and second frame meansare used for wrapping the first and second belt means about the productto conform the sheet of jacketing material to and press the sheet ofjacketing material against the generally cylindrical outer surface ofthe product so that the sheet of jacketing material may be bonded to thegenerally cylindrical outer surface of the product; the first and secondframe means each being pivoted from a first position where the sheet ofjacketing material can be placed on the first and second belt means andthe product can be placed on the sheet of jacketing material to a secondposition where the first and second belt means are each wrapped part ofthe way around generally cylindrical outer surface of the product toconform the sheet of jacketing material to and press the sheet ofjacketing material against the generally cylindrical outer surface ofthe product so that the sheet of jacketing material may be bonded to thegenerally cylindrical outer surface of the product.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 4, wherein: the first belt means passes over a firstrod means for pivotally supporting the first frame means and has an endportion secured to a free end portion of the first frame means wherebywhen the first frame means is pivoted from the first position to thesecond position to wrap the first belt means part of the way around thegenerally cylindrical outer surface of the product and conform the sheetof jacketing material to the generally cylindrical outer surface of theproduct, the first belt means is drawn over the first rod means and thesheet of jacketing material as the first belt means is wrapped about thegenerally cylindrical surface of the product; and the second belt meanspasses over a second rod means for pivotally supporting the second framemeans and has an end portion secured to a free end portion of the secondframe means whereby when the second frame means is pivoted from thefirst position to the second position to wrap the second belt means partof the way around the generally cylindrical outer surface of the productand conform the sheet of jacketing material to the generally cylindricalouter surface of the product, the second belt means is drawn over thesecond rod means and the sheet of jacketing material as the second beltmeans is wrapped about the generally cylindrical surface of the product.6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: when the first frame meansis pivoted from the first position to the second position and drawsfirst belt means over the first rod means and the sheet jacket, thefirst belt means is drawn with a force less than that required to crushthe product and greater than that required to overcome friction betweenthe first belt means and the sheet of jacketing material; and when thesecond frame means is pivoted from the first position to the secondposition and draws second belt means over the second rod means and thesheet jacket, the second belt means is drawn with a force less than thatrequired to crush the product and greater than that required to overcomefriction between the first belt means and the sheet of jacketingmaterial.
 7. The method according to claim 6, including: applying anadhesive to the generally cylindrical outer surface of the product tobond the sheet of jacketing material to the generally cylindrical outersurface of the product when the first and second belt means are eachwrapped part of the way around the generally cylindrical outer surfaceof the product to conform the sheet of jacketing material to and pressthe sheet of jacketing material against the generally cylindrical outersurface of the product.
 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: theadhesive is applied to the generally cylindrical outer surface of theproduct two longitudinally extending lines located adjacent where firstand second edge portions of the sheet of jacketing material are locatedby the first and second belt means when the first and second frame meansare each in the second position and the first and second belt means areeach wrapped part of the way around the generally cylindrical outersurface of the product.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: theproduct is fiber glass pipe insulation and has a tubular wall; theproduct has a longitudinal slit passing through the tubular wall fromthe generally cylindrical outer surface to an inner surface; and theadhesive is applied to the generally cylindrical outer surface of theproduct in two longitudinally extending lines located on either side ofand adjacent the slit and adjacent where first and second edge portionsof the sheet of jacketing material are located by the first and secondbelt means when the first and second belt means are each wrapped part ofthe way around the generally cylindrical outer surface of the product.